Secondhand Books
by MysteryWriter815
Summary: What if Castle had met Beckett at college? Would they have still wasted so much time dancing around each other? Think 'Veronica Mars' style crime fighting. Think Caskett. Think love and friendship and drama and life.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

_Summary: What if Castle had met Beckett at college? Would they have still wasted so much time dancing around each other? Think 'Veronica Mars' style crime fighting. Think Caskett. Think love and friendship and drama and life._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, but I've got the first two Nikki Heat books…_

_Author's Notes: This idea came to me sometime in early October on a lonely, rainy day when a stress induced bout of depression had me realising that university is nowhere near as fun as it looks in the movies. I won't get into specifics because, really, who likes reading author's notes? But I will tell you that I hesitated to publish this for two particular reasons. The first being the simple fact that this story is so AU that I wasn't sure that anyone would actually enjoy it. The second, intertwined with the first, is that I have always been horrible at being a 'teenager' (this story isn't about teenagers per se, but you get the idea), so I wasn't sure that I could successfully write such tales of youth. Alas, I am taking the leap with the utmost fear that this could be a flop, but I'll let you decide._

_This one is for all of the students who I know seek an escape from their stressful lives on the pages of this website. I hope you enjoy it._

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><p>"The best problem I ever found, I found in my local public library."<p>

– Andrew Wiles.

It had always bothered Richard Castle that you weren't supposed to speak in libraries. After all, they held the world's languages in aisles and aisles of carefully bound books that smelled of other lands. It seemed somewhat ridiculous that you couldn't even use them in the one place that they were most abundant. How could one breathe life into the endless stories if he was not allowed a voice to do so? What was the point of experiencing new worlds in the library if you were not able to discuss what you read or felt in the tomes of such a place anyway?

Words were his forte. Even at the age of 23, Rick knew how to hold a conversation, especially with the beautiful girls who roamed his college campus. He could charm the dining hall staff into giving him extra portions and he got along well with his professors.

Driven by such talents, the English major was enlisted to produce a short novel for his creative writing class by the start of the following week. He had come to the library in need of inspiration because, despite the silence, there was so much being said. Even when his imagination was not generating elaborate scenes of murder or deception, Rick often sought after the less fictional stories that lurked behind every mask of the people also seeking refuge between the book shelves.

Lost in thought as he watched an emerging storm lengthen the shadows cast across the carpet from tall bordering windows, he never noticed the girl in the purple hoodie arrive. For story's sake, Rick would have liked to be able to say that he had seen her; that he was aware of her presence the very moment she breathed the same air he did and that she had floated across the room and reclined into the hard plastic chair with the grace of an angel. But it was the God-awful racket she made as she closed one textbook with a slap of frustration and reached for another that made her presence first apparent to him. She sat kitty-corner, facing him two tables away; in the seat furthest from his own.

Rick drank in the sight of her – a refreshing change to the girls he was used to. The ones that looked even half as good as she did were never in the library studying. A royal purple hood enveloped her head as she hunched over her books with loose tendrils of chocolate brown waves framing her face. There was a deep crease set between her brows as she read with determination stronger than he'd ever seen on the face of someone her age. It made him want to see every expression that her face could make; happy, annoyed, loving, jealous, and even sad if it prolonged the time he was allowed to look at her.

Even to him, it sounded crazy. Rick Castle was not known as the type of guy to be fascinated by a sole woman. He loved them all; anyone who had not made it past his playboy façade could tell. This girl, though, was different. Every movement she made captivated him - the way she bit the end of her pen in concentration, the way she tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear. She appeared beautiful and fragile but strong and powerful all at once. He wasn't even sure how to put it into words but from that moment on, he knew he could watch her forever.

And so he did. Rick studied her as the relatively blank document of a non-existent novel sat completely unnoticed with its blinking cursor all but forgotten on his laptop. He did not write, but for the first time in months the young writer was filled with more words than he knew what to do with. There was a fleeting moment in which he considered putting on a suave mask, sauntering up to the girl in purple and introducing himself with a charming smile. Just by observing her focused eyes and determined expression he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. This girl was not a socialite waiting to be rescued or impressed. She was a complete mystery to him.

In the time he'd been watching the purple-hoodie girl, she had sunk lower into the chair; swallowed deeper by the mess of curls and fabric framing her face which was leaning against a single fisted hand that spoke of frustration. Driven by her drained expression and the sudden realization that the sun had disappeared, probably some hours ago, he rose from his chair with a plan. He would make her smile; an expression he had yet seen cross her face.

The girl looked like she was set up for a long stay in the library as Rick hurried anyway. He left without a possession in hand so quickly that he didn't even catch the look of curiosity that the girl shot him.

Rick made it to his destination in recorded time and waited in line impatiently. He drummed his fingers against his leg. Why did everything always take so long when one was in a hurry? She _had _to still be there when he got back, he thought desperately as he placed his order.

The drawling voice of a saleswoman snapped him back to reality. "That's five bucks."

He'd reached for his wallet to pay. His wallet was in his bag. His bag was in the library. The world hated him.

The saleswoman earned a famous Richard Castle smile that he often saved for times of need. One elbow propped onto the counter, he looked into her eyes with feigned interest and asked, "How was your day?" He walked away only moments later, throwing her a wink on the way out the door as he escaped into the night without paying. As a regular customer, he promised himself that he would pay triple next time.

It surprised Rick, yet elated him, when he rounded a corner into the secluded part of the library again, shaking water droplets from his hair. Purple-hoodie girl sat with her back to him, just where he had left her, and raised both arms above her head in a stretch that made his plan seem valid. He stopped in his tracks to watch the motion until she swiveled in her seat to look at him, obviously having sensed his presence. Rick wondered if she had spidey-senses as he stared stupidly back at her.

The narrowing of her mesmerizing eyes kicked him back into action and he took the remaining few steps until he was directly beside her, standing above her feeling like a creepy ogre who couldn't string a sentence together.

The young woman looked up at his dumbfounded expression and couldn't help but be drawn to his handsome features. In unknown parallel to his thoughts, the girl with the purple hoodie decided she would never stand a chance with the guy wearing the cocky grin.

With a steady hand that reminded Rick of a stagehand pulling back the curtains, brunette pushed the hood down to the back of her neck; her face the very definition of skepticism as her green eyes met his, blue. He made a mental note to tell her how beautiful hers were, if words ever returned to him, as he placed a steaming hot cup of coffee beside her books. It was a 'hello, how are you?' in the sincerest of forms.

"Thanks." The girl murmured.

"Any time." His stubbled lip twitched with a low rumble of mirth as he decided to test the waters. "I'm Rick and do you know you have _gorgeous_ eyes?"

She gave him a tiny grunt of shocked disbelief but didn't offer anything more back.

After a beat filled with the sound of rain drops hitting glass windows, Rick nodded with a grin before he was gone, returning to his seat.

._._._._._.

On the second day she was there first, seated three spaces closer to the side of the room he had occupied the night before.

With some foolish fluttering of hope that she would appear again, Rick had come prepared with two cups of coffee. A triumphant grin spread across his mouth when he saw her. He strolled in an awkward balancing act of cups and a laptop before casually placing the liquid heaven in front of her and walking away. It may have just been his imagination again, but the writer couldn't help comparing her to a deer. She reminded him of a startled doe at that moment, and it served as reminder not to spook her. She wasn't a deer though, and not quite as likely to dash away at unexpected movement, so instead of returning to his seat from last night, Rick moved to the middle bench and sat exactly three spaces closer to her end of the room.

As he sipped from his cup and waited for the laptop to warm up, Rick noticed the girl in the purple hoodie give him a look that was filled with curiosity and the slightest hint of amusement. She somewhat reluctantly picked up her own cup and briefly raised it towards him in thanks before gulping down a mouthful.

The young woman focused again on her books while Rick didn't even make it beyond the computer start-up as he watched her. He leant back in his chair with fingers hovering above the keyboard, prepared to refocus his attention if she were to look up and catch him staring. On further investigation, he noticed that the word Law was included in the titles of her stack of textbooks and wondered why such a pretty girl would follow such a path. She was model gorgeous and he had no doubt that she could have pursued that goal quite easily. In fact, the English major was willing to bet that the purple-hoodie girl could've had anything she desired handed to her on a silver platter if she so chose. He'd dated enough beautiful co-eds to know that much.

His musings were interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

"Rick! Rick! Rick! Rick! Rick!" A female voice echoed in annoying repetitiveness around the library. He'd forgotten to turn it off.

He fumbled with the offending object, glancing apologetically at the girl in purple and trying to pull the phone out of his pocket to shut it up. It fell from his hands, hitting the floor with a bang and after hastily leaning down to pick it up his head collided with the table. The audible crack of Rick's skull against the hard timber earned him her full attention. She glared across the small space in accusation and he barely noticed the few other annoyed faces that surrounded him as he shut the phone up and shrugged in apology towards her, rubbing his head. The brunet rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look back at him before her vision fell to the book in front of her once more.

Cursing the phone, himself for forgetting to turn it off and the odds that didn't want him to impress this girl, he quickly answered the phone before it could go to voicemail, ignoring the library's stupid silence rule.

"Alexis? What's wrong?" She never called him out of the blue.

The girl in the purple hoodie frowned as the guy who had brought her coffee the last two nights suddenly jumped to his feet after answering his phone. He scooped his belongings in his arms and ran for the door, lassoing his laptop cord into a more manageable hold and completely ignored the scene he was making.

She wondered what drew him away so quickly, slightly disappointed that he had left so soon.

She frowned deeper at her own thoughts and mentally shook herself. She needed to be studying, not pining after strange strangers.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes: Back in the days when the LOST fandom was thriving, there was a craze with high school based AU fics. Some of them were brilliant but others have made me determined to not make this a lame, immature piece of fluff that has little substance - hence why I took the college route. In keeping with our much loved crime solving duo, I plan to intertwine Veronica-Mars-style crimes for our heroes to solve around the campus. <em>

_Unlike my last multi chapter fic, I want to map most of this story out before I really get started so that there is a clear path. Whilst I have already begun working on more, I wanted to get this first chapter posted so that I could gauge your reactions in case it is indeed a flop (in which case I would scrap the whole thing). Your feedback would mean the world to me and basically define whether or not this will be continued._

_If you have Tumblr, come and say hey! (Check my profile on here out for details…)_

_Amy._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

_Summary: What if Castle had met Beckett at college? Would they have still wasted so much time dancing around each other? Think 'Veronica Mars' style crime fighting. Think Caskett. Think love and friendship and drama and life._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, but I've got the first two Nikki Heat books…_

_Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, everyone. I'm sure you can all understand how crazy busy this time of year can be, plus I've also found myself a wonderful Beta Reader (**Lcsaf**). We've been busy smoothing out the bumps I've created. On that note, chapter one has been edited and updated so you may want to go back and reread that before continuing with this chapter._

_Thank you all so terribly much for the response to the first chapter of this – I am forever grateful and flattered. __**Abbyismyfavorite11**__,_ _sorry I couldn't get back to you, because you don't have private messages enabled, but thanks for your offer!_

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><p>"When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it."<p>

- Marie de Sevigne

On the third day Rick got to their study corner first. The young writer had skipped a Phi Beta Mu house party to hide out in the university's library. It was already nearing eight and he was worried that this would be the first night that purple-hoodie girl did not show. With child-like hope, he placed the coffee cup on her usual table; three spaces closer to the centre of the room, where he now sat.

For the first time since laying eyes on the girl, he had finally been inspired to write for his assignment. He wrote about a young woman who looked like a supermodel but had the determination of a bull. She was smart and interesting and full of fire and a little mysterious. Of course, it was his newest muse which conjured such characters out of the young writer.

She, like the character she inspired, had him wondering at her motivations...and to his own. After all, Rick Castle was not the kind of guy to skip frat parties to go to the library in the hopes of seeing a single quiet female. He did not fumble or flounder…except with this girl, whose name he _still _had not gotten. The whole situation was a little weird.

The girl showed half an hour later, looking a little lighter than she had for the past few nights. She was not dressed in her usual hoodie and comfortable jeans, but was wearing a black leather jacket over a grey shirt and tight fitting denims with high heels he thought even his actress mother would have trouble walking in. She moved with the elegance of a runway pro. Chestnut hair fell around her shoulders as though it had been styled into loose curls. She looked fantastic, and for a moment the young man wondered if she had actually dressed up for him or been out beforehand. That thought led him to ponder if she had been out with friends or a date.

He had just begun spinning a theory about her extracurricular activities, when he caught the small smile that flashed across the girl's face as she saw the cup of coffee waiting for her. The smile disappeared just as quickly, but Rick couldn't wait to see it again. He wished the drink was still hot, but she didn't seem to mind as she gulped down the lukewarm liquid.

Although she hadn't made show of observing him in return, the girl (whose name was Kate) had noticed that her personal barista's look had changed too. His cleanly shaven face left him looking a little more kempt; a change from the bad boy stubble he had been wearing. She'd never admit it, but the young woman thought he looked good both ways.

She had come without her usual textbooks but a novel with a worn spine held her seemingly undivided attention. Peering over his laptop screen, the English major watched his muse between sporadic spurts of inspiration that hit him as he typed them out. The character in his novella suddenly had a passion for murder mystery novels. Generically, she should have been reading romance stories with happy endings but her past propelled her to delve into the darkened world of murder. He began to like the assignment; his muse was interesting.

The book that hid the girl's features from his prying eyes was familiar to Rick; it was one of his favourites. Tomorrow he would bring her a gift and, finally, she would warm to him.

However, Kate was already beginning to notice the upperclassman—had been since the first cup of coffee. In fact, she'd debated about returning to the library at all, unsure about the subtle flirtations and what they meant coming from him. Yeah, she'd done her homework; she knew about Rick Castle. Big Man on Campus. Total Flirt and Resident Ladies' Man. But for all that, apparently a decent student (the time spent in the library attested to that). He was an English major with a double minor in Mythology and Journalism. He'd written for the student paper (nothing recent, but she'd dug through the archives yesterday morning to find some of his writing) and he was very good.

Still, she wondered what he was doing here, in her section of the library, plying her with coffee and moving closer to her seat each night. If he thought he was setting himself up to get in her pants, he was going to be sorely disappointed. Besides, she didn't really think she was his type—she wasn't one of those busty blonde bimbettes from Sorority Row. And what the hell was she doing, thinking like this?

._._._._._._.

The forth night saw Rick arrive a little after six. He noticed that the young woman once again donned the clothing that had spurred his private moniker and had moved nearer to his seat as he swiftly placed her coffee on the wood beside her with growing normalcy. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments when he placed a book to nudge at her hand and she looked up at him. A beauty spot sat below her left eye, captivating him. He tore his eyes away and strode to his seat, afraid of scaring her away with fascinated stares.

She had defined his seating position that night by leaving a hand scrawled note on the table at the very centre of the room. Pushing aside a selection of coins that she had left on top, the looped letters written with care made him grin at her forwardness.

_Grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla._

It was a coffee order. He'd been getting her the wrong kind.

Having barely sat down, Rick was up again, pocketing the note and hurrying towards the door. He grinned as he felt her eyes follow him all the way to the exit.

As soon as he left, Kate picked up the book he had given her with unmasked curiosity. It wasn't marked with the university's library stamp so she assumed it must be from his collection. The Pre-Law major flipped the pages with her thumb, watching the words within flick past in a blur as she breathed in the beloved woody scent. The motion came to an end just inside the front cover where a hand written blurb adorned the grained page. At first the young woman thought it was a note from the author – the very same that wrote the book she had been reading yesterday – but upon further inspection she found it was from him: the annoyingly handsome stranger who had persistently watched her study for the past four days.

_You're_ _extraordinary. _

– _RC_

The note came as unexpected as the book had; as unexpected as he had been, if she was honest. Her world was not a light world and she didn't think he knew that he was beginning to be a constant with which she was starting to become accustomed to. Strangers didn't call strangers extraordinary. Strangers didn't pay close enough attention to know who one of your favourite authors was. They didn't watch you so intensely that it became annoying, or maybe flattering, she wasn't really sure which. Kate vaguely wondered if he was deranged. It would be just her luck.

She had closed the book by the time Rick returned; his hand written words still lingering in her mind. Her jaw clenched as he set her coins back on the desk with a metallic clink. She was not one to take handouts. When he removed her cup of coffee from the table she almost snapped in protest until he placed a new scalding cup in its place. He waited patiently for her to pick it up and take a sip. Grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla. If he was deranged, at least he was good at following cues, she decided. And until he made his intentions known, she'd at least accept the coffee runs.

Kate looked at him over the rim of the cup and offered a simple, "Much better. Thanks."

It wasn't exactly the reaction Rick had hoped for, but she had spoken to him so he smiled gently and said, "Any time."

._._._._._._._.

Change began to materialise on the fifth day. Rick arrived first but his purple-hoodie girl did not appear until the sun had well and truly sunk below New York City, as the rain completely drained any remnants of light from the day. She stomped her way across the room, barely pausing as she passed by to grab her waiting cup of coffee from beside his.

Not a word was spoken between them but he watched her curiously while she retreated to the same seat from yesterday. It was symbolic, he knew. She was halting further progression of their bizarre relationship that only consisted of a few words, coffee and a book. But at the same time, she wasn't moving further away, either. The girl was inexplicably showing another emotion he had longed to see. She was obviously angry and he didn't know what to do. Going over was not an option; they hadn't yet made it to the stage where discussing feelings and personal issues was ok. They didn't discuss anything.

Kate could feel the pressure of the anger within her as it was crushed between her clenched teeth. Castle was watching her, as usual, but tonight it bothered her even more than normal. His steady gaze made her feel bare; he was trying to read her. He didn't get to know that this anger was for her father, drunk and hopeless again. It was almost too much for the young woman who fought the urge to either yell her frustration out at him or run for the door.

A single hot tear rolled from her downcast eyes as the anger she had arrived with morphed to sadness while the young man watched. There was an open text book held in her palms. She stared down at it, gnawing on her bottom lip in an obvious attempt to hold in the rest of the tears. The brunette's reserved exterior was crumbling before his eyes and, whilst it troubled Rick to see her that way, he was grateful for the glimpse of her interior that it allowed; the plots of her story that it told. A wave of guilt immediately flooded him at his satisfaction of seeing this new fragment of her.

Having measurable experience with females in distress, the concerned young man rose to his feet without taking his eyes from her figure. The shift of her eyes was evident as he began moving towards the door. She lifted her head in his direction slightly and although it appeared as though she was still looking at the book, he knew the girl was following his movements.

Although her steady observer hadn't been gone long, it felt like his return at nearly an hour later was incredibly delayed, to the both of them. He hurried back inside the library but slowed as he neared the girl. The book she had held had been discarded on the table which supported her folded arms beneath her head and he was almost afraid to approach. A soft sniffle stirred something inside of Rick and his feet began to carry him toward her once more.

The stable hand he placed on her shoulder was what made her head rise from her arms and she furiously wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. The girl in purple did not cry. Not in front of people, at least. She was strong and able, and she was certainly in control of herself. The stranger who had watched her on a daily basis for the past five days did not get to see her cry.

The glare he received convinced Rick to remove his hand from her shoulder in fear that he might lose it. Instead, he revealed a new cup emblazoned with the very same logo as their usual coffees. It wasn't so much offered as it was forced into her hand and he waited to gauge her reaction as she tested them. The first sip she took from the cup softened her reddened eyes and he smiled gently down at her, satisfied that the warm cup of spiced milk he had bought to calm her would work. It always worked for him as a child.

Kate did not thank him – she could not push the words beyond her now clogged throat – but the young woman looked up to him with eyes that spoke a thousand words. She was grateful for his kindness, although it weakened her to think that she needed it.

He returned to his seat, satisfied that no more tears would spill as the shadows in the library grew darker and the night went on. The pair sat in silence, directly opposite each other on neighbouring tables for hours, doing their own things with the overshadow of comfort – of an irrevocable connection.

Maybe the silence in libraries wasn't so bad, Rick thought. It seemed to be the forte of mostly silent communication for which he was beginning to fall.

._._._._._._._.

By the sixth night there was a new-found ease between the two. When Rick had arrived, delivering her coffee to her chair, which had begun to move towards his again, the girl had looked up from the book she was reading. His eyes searched hers for remnants of the broken girl from last night but her strengthened mask was secured in place without any evidence of it ever being shattered. It was not a particularly peculiar action on her behalf until she reached into a backpack strewn across the table and handed him a novel. The very same book he had given her a few nights earlier, he realised.

Before Rick could open his mouth in protest, to tell her that he had meant for her to keep it, the purple-hoodie girl's hand moved atop the book she had been reading upon his arrival. She lifted it towards him, one slender finger hidden at the half way point of the novel as a bookmark, and showed him the cover. It was an exact replica of the one he held and so he understood her message, giving a nod of acknowledgement with raised eyebrows and a smile before striding towards his seat. Smooth. It would make sense she would already own that book if she owned the other one.

Rick sat and opened the book, thinking it was his own and wanting to reread the message he had scrawled within the covers for her.

_Quit staring at me. It's creepy. _

– _KB_

The young man's tongue poked into his cheek as he tried to supress the grin that her carefully written note produced. Each letter was elegantly sculpted across the page; the ink of her pen having faintly smudged at the definitive full stop that completed her words. _KB_ – the girl's initials were KB. With two simple letters hand written inside the front cover of a gift, he supposed, that she had given him, Rick knew she was starting to open up to him. Despite her façade of indifference, she had acknowledged him.

Craving to be closer to her – to get to know her better – in any way possible, the young man began to reread the novel that he had read at least five times since he had owned it. He flipped to a random page at the half way mark, estimating her position in the story, and began reading. He would read along with her; marvel at the macabre details and discover again who the murderer was.

It was lucky that Rick was a speed reader and had read the book before, because his attention was split unevenly between the story and the purple-hoodie girl. Though the library was mostly void of other people, individuals and small clusters passed her. Most took no notice, bar a few appreciative glances from guys Rick knew to be players on campus. He was well familiar with that crowd. He studied the girl closer, looking to pin-point the very thing that drew him to her. He embossed the cute line of concentration between her eyes into his memory.

Engrossed by the details of the story, it was not until quite some time later that the chapter Kate had been reading ended and she became aware of her surroundings once more. A lone kid who had chosen to occupy her vacated seat from the first night went practically unnoticed as her eyes landed subconsciously on the evening's usual company. Caught blatantly watching her, his eyes went wide and mouth popped open before being hurriedly covered by the book held in his hands, only seconds later.

Amused by his antics, she left her book down and continued to watch the guy. In a matter of seconds he lowered what was previously her copy of the novel they both held, just low enough so that two brilliant blue eyes peered cautiously back at her.

Finding the purple-hoodie girl staring him down after catching his gawking look resulted in an intentionally comical game of peek-a-boo. Rick shielded himself with the object once more before lowering it completely and offering her a grin. To his utmost delight, the girl, whose initials still had him wondering, gave an uncontrolled grin in return. It was certainly a different facet than he had seen yesterday.

._._._._._._.

Day seven was really only the beginning to their bizarre friendship. It was the day that held the most shocks and, by far, the most words Rick had ever heard the purple-hoodie girl speak.

The pair had reached a mutual space on the middle long table in the library, seated opposite each other. Both justified it with the fact that the other students left them with no other choice. Kate sat forward in her seat, reading one of the textbooks that had come from a measurable stack to her left, while Rick leaned back in a sprawled position which spoke of the confidence that their new seating arrangement had installed.

Their game of peek-a-boo took place, but this time Kate joined in more than she had previously. With each frown of feigned annoyance that she shot him, Rick grinned even wider, his assignment getting pushed even further back on the imaginary list of importance.

A fleeting moment of exposure left him with a snapshot of yet another fragment of this new mystery. On changing textbooks, a familiar stapled set of papers fell from between the covers of Kate's books and skidded across the wooden table where it landed beside his laptop. Rick picked it up with the intention of handing it back but, of course, his eyes roamed the front page, first. It was a copy of one of the University's newsletters. In fact, the young writer was almost certain that it was one of the back copies in which he had published.

And then 'KB' was hovering above her seat, stretching across the table to snatch the article from his prying hands and eyes. She was a blur of mortified fury.

Rick smirked. It was the very first edition he'd been published in and the paper had named him their new social commentator. He'd know the hot blonde in the bottom corner of _that_ front cover anywhere. He normally wouldn't have thought it odd for anyone to have an old copy, but the reaction he got from her gave him pause. Why would she be embarrassed about that? Unless there was something in there she didn't want him to see. He studied the girl across from him carefully as he tried to recall what was in that particular newsletter, but all he could remember was his own article, shallow as that was...his eyes lit up as the thought came to him. Perhaps KB had been digging up on him...

For quite some time after that, Kate did not look at him, which of course, only fuelled his suspicion. Instead, it appeared that she had acquired tunnel vision, her focus devoted totally to her books. Finally, Rick caught her quick glance up. His grin became one of unholy glee as guilt and horror flooded her expression (not to mention the very becoming blush creeping up her neck). She _had_ been digging up on him!

The tension in the air grew thicker as he allowed the silence to carry on. She knew that he knew she had being researching him and it was starting to become apparent as the young woman began fidgeting in her seat. With a smirk, Rick leaned forward to put her out of her misery...or mess with her a little more (it was a fine line, really).

"If you wanted to know more about me, you could've just asked," he told her in a low, playful tone. "I'd be _happy_ to answer your questions..." And hopefully she would answer his.

The change from her was instantaneous. Gone was the shy, embarrassed girl as the brunette's posture went straight and obvious disdain snapped into her gaze. "You know, you've got quite a rap sheet for the school's star journalist," she hissed. "Disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, _streaking_ across campus, and not to mention any one of the dozens of stories anyone on campus will tell when your name is mentioned." Half a beat passed until she ferociously added, "Really. Sleeping with the entire cheerleading squad?"

Was that jealousy?

Both dark eyebrows rose high above his eyes as a grin straightened itself into a look of innocence. He shrugged. "Boys will be boys." Rick was surprised that she even knew about the last one, and a little disappointed that she'd plucked it from the rest. The story wasn't actually true.

A huff of frustration at his blasé response ruffled the waves of hair framing the purple-hoodie girl's face. She went back to her books, leaving him to grin like a tyrant across at her. Eventually Kate's non-acknowledging act settled them back into their regular silence and they worked opposite each other for at least two hours more. Rick did not dare speak, in fear that his history had already shattered any chance he could have had with the beautiful girl.

By the time Kate had worked up the courage to speak to her acquaintance again, the world outside the windows sat ominously lit by a few stray street lamps along the surrounding footpath. With textbooks tucked neatly under her arm, she stood, his eyes following every motion.

"Well, I guess this is it. Thanks for the coffee supply."

Rick's heart sank. Every obvious cue gave weight to the finality of her words. "It doesn't have to be," he offered. "We could, uh, go to dinner." Even though a soft smirk was gracing Rick's features, he was serious.

"Why, Castle?" Kate was grinning fiercely as she used his last name. It was an attempt at distancing herself from him. "So I can be another one of your conquests?"

His grin grew but the laced seriousness remained. "Or I could be one of yours."

The Pre-Law major nodded with her lips pinched to one side in an amused expression that almost bordered on actual consideration. And then it was gone, replaced by the sanity that she usually wore. "It was nice meeting you, Castle."

"We could be great together." He was absolutely certain.

Kate cocked a brow. "Might've," she corrected. She lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. "Guess now we'll never know."

She made it ten confident steps away from their meeting place by the time Rick recovered. Somehow, the young man was on his feet and calling after her, not caring about the library's stupid silence rule. "Wait! What's your name?"

Consideration was evident in the girl's features as she spun on her heel back towards him. "Beckett. Kate Beckett." And then she was off again, her hips swinging with superiority.

The way she said it reminded him of his favourite Bond movie. It was those three distinct words that made the decision for him. Richard Castle would follow her, even if she kept walking away from him. He was going to find ways to hassle her into that dinner. As he watched her round the corner and out of sight, Rick decided that his mission would start first thing tomorrow.

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><p><em>Author's Notes: So, this one was longer than the last, which means I want to know what you thought about it even more than last time. ;)<em>

_I'm sure it goes without saying, but thank you, Leina._


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

_Summary: What if Castle had met Beckett at college? Would they have still wasted so much time dancing around each other? Think 'Veronica Mars' style crime fighting. Think Caskett. Think love and friendship and drama and life._

_Disclaimer: Castle is too genius to be mine. Some parts of this chapter aren't even mine..._MAJOR_ thank you to my wonderful Beta – __**Lcsaf**__ - for helping heavily with this chapter! All the good bits are hers. ;)_

_Author's Notes: First off, thank you SO much to each and every person who read, reviewed or added me/this story to their favourites/alerts! I was hoping that people might like this AU but was sooo not expecting the response that it has gotten so far. Absolutely flabbergasted. Secondly, if you write and don't have a Beta – get one immediately. You probably don't even know how much you need one._

_There are a few reasons why this chapter has taken awhile to get to you guys; the main one, I think, being that there were too many awesome plot ideas trying to run off on their own tangents. Mash them all together and you get THIS! I like to think that the delay was well worth it. Enjoy._

* * *

><p>"To be a person is to have a story to tell."<p>

—Isak Dinesen.

"I'm home!" Rick bellowed into the large apartment; allowing the door to close loudly behind him. When silence greeted him after a few seconds, he called out again. "Hello? Anybody home?" he half-sang.

Nothing.

Shrugging, the young man dropped his things on the couch and made his way to the kitchen in search of a snack. The fridge was full of both leftovers and fresh produce—the result of Alexis' health kick and insistence on eating together as family as often as possible. It wasn't easy, Rick mused as he snagged the ingredients for a BLT (it was a wonder he and Alexis' hadn't finished the bacon off at breakfast, but he wasn't complaining). Between the demands of their mother's continuously successful career as a Broadway Diva and Rick and Alexis' busy schedules both in and out of school, getting the three of them for any meal other than Sunday brunch was a careful juggling act. Still, he appreciated the efforts his little sister took to bring them together as the Castle clan and not just Martha Rodgers and her semi-famous offspring.

Rick hummed tunelessly and shut the fridge door to reveal his sister, who stood before him wearing her school uniform and their mother's large Bose headphones. Rick let out a *manly* shriek and felt a combination of nerves, embarrassment, pride and more than a little irritation at Alexis' sardonic eyebrow lift. Part of him was pleased that she was practicing the skills she had begged him to teach her, but was mostly irked that she actually caught him unawares. She wasn't supposed to be practicing on _him_. He glared and turned to the counter to assemble his sandwich.

Alexis said something to him in French that sounded suspiciously like an order and after a moment of quizzical looks and a little prodding, she removed the headphones and stared at him expectantly.

"English, Lex," Rick prompted.

"Oh!" the girl said, looking a little sheepish. "I asked if you could make mine on wheat," she told him, nodding at the snack.

The young man assessed his materials and then his sister again. While technically there _was_ enough to share, the idea of having all that crunchy bacon to himself was very appealing.

Alexis twirled a lock of brilliant red hair and looked at him with wide baby blue eyes. "Pleeeease."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed in disgust. He pulled out the requested bread along with his own rye and began splitting up the food. He hoped to God no-one on campus ever found out how much of a sucker he was for his little sister. The guys would never let him hear the end of it. "Why didn't you answer when I called?" he demanded.

Alexis held up the headphones. "Couldn't hear you over my French lesson," she responded.

"Then how'd you know I was home?"

"Felt the front door slam."

"You could've called out."

When the girl failed to respond, Rick looked over his shoulder to see her with a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

She really _had_ been trying to scare him!

Brat.

He narrowed his own deep blue eyes. "Just for that, you get mayonnaise," he told her; spreading a thin layer on her bread.

"What? Rick! NO!" Alexis cried as she rushed to save her sandwich. But she was too late to stop her brother from mashing the BLT together and rubbing it just a little to spread the condiment. She stared at him with betrayal in her eyes.

"I'll eat it, if you don't want it," he offered a little too innocently. He knew Alexis was by no means a picky eater, but preferred her sandwiches dry and had never really cared for mayo.

The red head huffed and jerked her snack away before stomping to the couch.

Rick let a devious grin cross his face, pleased to get his own back as he followed her. His sister was currently in the act of ignoring him, but he paid it no mind and let himself flop down next to her in a way that was sure to annoy further.

Alexis glared at him as she bit into her sandwich.

"So, French, huh?" Rick began.

The red head slid her eyes to him in a broody glare and swallowed her bite before finally answering him. "Pronunciation," she offered in a sulky tone.

"Ah, oration…" Rick sighed in acknowledgement. He took a bite and turned to his sister. "Does that make you a French Oral?" he teased around the mouthful of food. The result had the desired effect of making Alexis snort at his silliness. He grinned before swallowing his own bite. "Any more thought on that presentation you're gonna make?"

The girl beside him nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I think I like your idea of narrating a picnic in the park."

Rick grinned. While their mother was keen to see her children get as excellent an education as she could afford, it was often Rick that helped his sister with her homework while Martha was on stage. "So, what are you eating at your picnic? In French."

Alexis snorted again. They both knew that Rick's only concession to the language was 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi,' and that he preferred Chinese due to his little obsession with his space-cowboy show. But when it counted, Rick was willing to listen and assist her anyway he could with her classes' workloads.

"Je suis en train de manger un sandwich terrible que mon frère a ruiné."

Rick narrowed his eyes. "It's a delicious sandwich," he insisted before polishing his off. "My baby sister is just too weird to appreciate it."

He grabbed his bag from the end of the couch and pulled out his laptop. The short novel was due tomorrow and he needed to finish it. Playing peek-a-boo with Kate had been fun, but probably more distracting than helpful and if he wanted to take her to dinner and get her story, then he need to make sure his grades weren't going to slip. The disappointed look on Martha's face when he had to repeat his sophomore year from almost failing his classes for nearly a year had him buckling down for a good long while in an effort to never see that expression again. Besides, he thought as he waited for it to boot up, despite Miss Beckett's insistence that their evening rendezvous was over, she had proven to be _very_ inspiring and he wasn't ready to let go of that muse just yet.

Alexis finished her own sandwich quickly and stood. It was a well known fact that while Rick didn't mind keeping anyone company while they worked, he preferred to be left alone when _he_actually worked.

"Mom's coming home to cook tonight," the teen reminded him as she grabbed her ipod and headphones from the kitchen. "Chicken cordon bleu."

"'Kay," the young man replied distractedly as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

._._._._._._._.

Kate Beckett had been distracted too. She'd crossed the quad and fairly slung her things down on her bed once she reached her dorm. Her roommate, Lanie Parish, had risen both eyebrows at this.

"You okay, girl?" she asked from her little desk.

"Just peachy," Kate growled as she changed into sweatpants and a thick strapped tank top. "I'm hittin' the gym. I'll see you later."

Lanie tisked. "Okay."

It was nearly an hour later when Kate had finally returned from her rounds with the heavy bag. Sweaty and sore, she showered quickly and flopped back down on her bed.

Lanie was still pouring over her own textbooks as a Pre-Med Major. "Feel better?" she asked, not looking up.

"Yeah," Kate sighed.

"Good." Lanie slammed her book shut and turned in her seat to point a single finger at Kate. "Because you are going to tell me why you've been so weird this week."

"It's nothing," Kate insisted.

The black young woman stared her incredulously. "Nothing?" She repeated. "Uh-uh, '_nothing_' would not have you draggin' in every night like you wanna kiss and then kill someone only a few nights after we went out to dance and drink. Seriously, girl: spill."

Kate sighed again and tossed an arm over her eyes, knowing there was no way Lanie was going to let this go. "I met Rick Castle in the library this week."

"Rick Castle," Lanie echoed. "Big Man On _Campus_ Rick Castle? The one who writes for the University Paper?"

"Yeah."

"In the library."

"Yes."

"What was he doing there?"

Honestly, Kate had been asking herself that same question time after time. "I think he was supposed to be writing."

"But…?" Lanie prodded.

"He brought me coffee."

"Coffee."

"Yeah." Kate chanced a look at her roommate. The other young woman's gaze was expectant. "All week."

"All. Week?"

Kate sat up with a huff. "Is there a parrot in here? Yes! All week!"

"I'm sorry," Lanie said, sounding not the least bit sorry, but slightly angry. "I'm still trying to comprehend that one of the hottest guys on campus was bringing you coffee for a week and this is the first I'm hearing about it." She pinned Kate with a look. "And I thought we were friends…" She pursed her lips and turned back around in her chair to open a book.

Kate rolled her eyes and mentally counted to five before releasing a breath. "I'm sorry, alright? I just…didn't know what was going on, and what with my dad…." she trailed off as her friend swiveled her head back to her.

Lanie finally sighed and turned the entire chair to face Kate. "Girl, you know I'm not tryin' to get you upset. I'm excited for you. And you know you can talk to me about anything. I mean, I know I haven't known you as long as your friend Maddie, but we've been roomies for two years now…" She gestured her stack of medical textbooks. "And with Pre-Med kicking my butt, I've barely got time for a social life, so I have to have _someone_ to live vicariously through…"

Kate smiled.

"So, coffee, huh?"

"Yeah," the brunette answered in a dreamy way.

Lanie raised a brow. "He say why?"

Kate ducked her head. "We…didn't really talk that much."

The other young woman jerked her head back. "A whole week and you didn't talk?"

"We were in a library, Lanie. Not a coffee shop."

"So take him outside!" came the reply. "Seriously, hon, if I had a man bringing _me_ coffee every day for a week…?" The rest went unspoken, but the meaning was obvious.

"I just…God, Lanie! I don't know!" Kate cried. "I mean, it's Richard freaking Castle. What if all he's doing is trying to get in my pants?"

"So? Isn't that what every guy in college tries to do anyway? At least he's being nice about it. And from what I hear, it'd be a pleasant experience."

"He slept with the entire cheerleading squad, Parish!"

Lanie speared her with a look. "Well, _Beckett_, you know how picky those girls are."

The Pre-Law student didn't care what those girls were like; she wasn't one of them and never would be. Kate leveled her friend with a glare before sighing. "I don't know, Lanie. I just…I don't need this right now, you know?"

"Mmmmhm." Lanie hummed, lifting her pen in the air with a bopping bent wrist loaded with attitude. "I think this could be _exactly_ what you need right now."

Making a show of frustration (even if mostly facetiously so) towards her roommate's persistent attempts at getting her onto the dating scene, Kate flung herself dramatically from the bed and onto her feet. "I'm going out tomorrow. Esposito will probably be there, if you're interested…"

Lanie's raised eyebrow and pursed lips were the last thing the brunette saw as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The residential hallway was not yet bustling with the usual party crowd getting ready for a big night out as Kate waited for the elevator the next evening. Eight o'clock was a little early for those whose night did not start until much later in the evening. She watched as the yellow light in the small glass window above the heavy metal doors of the lift flickered to display a silhouetted '2'. Maneuvering inside once the doors had opened was much easier without her usual load of textbooks.

She'd debated about returning to the library tonight. Nobody but Lanie knew about her encounters with Richard Castle and that would be the way it would stay, if she had anything to say on the matter. Kate did not want the rumors that would surely come if anyone was to catch wind of their bizarre friendship.

She kept calling it that – a 'friendship' – but didn't know why. How could a guy who had persistently _stalked_ her for the past week be considered a friend? Ah, that was why – 'persistent'. He was constant. He was _there_. He was cute too, but that thought was not yet ready to be truly acknowledged. Besides, she had walked out on him, cute or not—she didn't deal with playboys.

"Yo, Beckett, hold up!" Javier Esposito's voice rang down the hall and to the elevators that Kate currently occupied. Shaking herself from her thoughts, the brunette obligingly slammed her hand against the closing doors, halting their process and waited on her friends.

The aforementioned young man and his recent roommate tagalong-Kevin Ryan-slid into the car a moment later.

"Thanks," Ryan breathed.

Kate nodded and let the elevator take them downstairs.

"So," Javier said, gesturing to Kate's empty hands. "You finally stop dragging yourself to that boring cave?"

"Some of us actually like peace and quiet to study," Kate replied. "But, yeah, I just took the test, so I think I'll steer clear of the library awhile to hang out with you miscreants…" she teased.

_He_ probably wouldn't have even showed up after what happened last night, anyway…

The boys grinned. "Now that's more like it," Javi drawled.

The trio stepped out onto the ground floor, Beckett slightly in the lead.

"Where are we going?" Kevin's soft voice asked.

Kate gave him a sideways glance as she kept walking. She liked Javi's new roommate–really, she did–but that didn't mean she couldn't mess with him a little. Stony faced and with lengthening strides she offered, "Hunting."

The guy looked a little worried as his own steps slowed while he analyzed her.

Esposito let out an explosion of laughter at his friend's expression. He clapped a hand down on Ryan's shoulder in reassurance and pushed him onwards. "Bro, she means we're going to get burgers."

The trio ambled their way back onto campus much later, all smiles and laughter. Taking the new kid to Remy's had been Javier's idea, and while Kate had initially been reluctant to share their secret diner, it had worked out in the end. Between Ryan's appropriate enthusiasm for a well done cow and the past exploits Javi and Kate had recalled, the three of them had bonded like old friends in no time. The kid was alright….yeah, Kevin Ryan would fit in just fine with them.

"Hey, hold on," Kevin said before trotting over to the little stand outside the student hall to grab the latest publication of the school paper.

Javier rolled his eyes as the other young man flipped through the edition in obvious anticipation. "Bro's got a serious man-crush on the dude who writes for the paper," he confided to Kate at Kevin's "ah-hah!"  
><em><br>_The title read "_Hook, line and sink her, no matter your type of fish" _by Richard Castle, as Kate peered over Ryan's shoulder with interest.

Library or no library, she couldn't escape the guy. Having not seen an article from Rick in some time and unable to refuse her curiosity, Kate began to skim read the work of her coffee supplying stalker. The first few paragraphs were as thick - or as thin, rather - as the hair on her father's ageing head. The article detailed the types of girls that one would find around campus (the cheerleader, the hot foreign exchange student, the girl on the athletic team, the completely serious studier "_who you may know better as a nerd_" and the hippy girl) and ghastly ways of bagging each.

Shallow guy talk at its finest, the young woman concluded as she wondered who was in charge of letting such garbage go to publish. She read on, reducing her skim to a slower, more intense rendering of the piece as the final section grabbed her eye.

"_And then there's Her. That girl that catches your eye in a way that absolutely no-one else does. She could be out at a club or a bar; maybe in a coffee shop or a library. She could be dancing, or studying—with her friends or alone, but it doesn't matter because she's all you focus on._

Perhaps you see her once, or a handful of times. You talk (or you don't, but you communicate all the same), you make this connection….and then she's gone.

She disappears but she haunts you until it's all you can do to think about anything else, because she consumes your thoughts even though you can't find her. That, my friends, is a dangerous girl."

Kate fought both the blanching and then reddening of her face as Kevin read the article aloud. She forced her features in a bland expression as Javi blew out a breath.

"Sounds like dude's got it bad," he nearly whispered. He turned to Kate and worry crossed his face. "You okay?"

"I…come on, let's go," Kate said quickly and forced herself not to run back to her dorm. She could already feel the boys' eyes on her retreating form as they trailed behind, confused.

On the walk back to their dorm building, Kate was gnawing on her bottom lip in concentration until Espo told her that she'd bite it off, should she continue. The teasing made her stop a few minutes as she proceeded to walk in silence while pondering that damned article. Surely it was a_ coincidence_ that Castle had started writing for the newspaper again after sharing a study space with her for a week. The young woman found it hard to believe that the "mysterious girl" he mentioned could have any relation to her.

A high pitched scream that broke the steady rhythm of the boys' conversation startled Kate out of her thoughts. The athletic brunette's head snapped towards the sound before she was sprinting forward of her feet's own accord, her guys on either flank. The trio reached a mass of other students huddled at the outer edges of the glow coming from a streetlamp and the sea of people appeared to part of its own device as they pushed towards the front.

"What happened?" Beckett was in RA mode: voice strong and defined above the whimpering cries of the scared crowd around her. She'd reached the frontline as the last word escaped her mouth and there was little need for explanation as her eyes grew wide. "Oh!"

Bloodied and sprawled, the horrific image of a dead girl's body lay on the grass before them. Ghostly pale skin stuck out from a cheerleader's purple and white outfit, the fabric still appropriately cheerful in patches but tainted crimson red where the blood had soaked through. Her mouth was agape like a black abyss in the low lighting of the evening but the majority of the sickly face below was splayed with flaxen hair that matched the discoloured whites of the uniform.

The younger girl in Kate, who had discovered her mother's murdered figure sprawled similarly not even a year ago, must have frozen at the sight because the next thing she knew, Javi's chest bumped her in the back in a gentle nudge. Thick Latino fingers caressed her right elbow in a gesture far gentler than most people would expect from his stocky build as he guided her slightly to the side, stepping in front of her. The action effectively blocked Beckett's view from the body as she sucked in a deep breath, thankful for her friend's knowing grace.

The girl took a moment to steel herself, standing there in the private shadow which Esposito's broad shoulders cast over her. She stepped up beside him shortly after, facial features carefully schooled; her own shoulders squared and displaying authority.

A guy from their floor recognized the pair as Residential Assistants and piped up from somewhere in the crowd. "We found her like this. Some guy ran off that way." His voice wavered slightly as he pointed down the street.

Beckett followed his indicative arm with a keen eye as she stretched onto her toes to see above the crowd, surveying every nook and cranny of the concrete jungle in which the suspect could have vanished. Clusters of people walked along the footpath in front of the basketball stadium before them, none looking overly suspicious or out of place. She decided it was a lost cause and turned back to the chaos before her where more people had started to gather.

Beside her, Javi had his phone held to one ear talking to campus security, the police, somebody…Kate wasn't quite sure who it was, but her friend's face was a hell of a lot more serious than when he usually played Angry Birds on the same device.

Finding that Kevin had not been swallowed by the curious people pressing in on them was a relief until he bent down beside the body at their feet. She watched as he stretched out a single finger towards the blood covered girl and swiped a sample to sniff. As weird as that action itself was, her stomach didn't actually drop until he raised that same finger to his mouth. Kate fought any further progress of the acidic taste that gripped at the back of her throat but he looked up, grinning.

"It's ketchup!" Ryan chuckled. Trust a Chemistry major to notice that the make-up of the 'blood' was off.

Wishing that her own innocence could have been restored just as easily after seeing her mother's body, Kate crouched down beside him and reached out to touch the girl as well. What she had expected, the RA couldn't say, but it certainly was not what she found. A scoff escaped with traces of amusement at the gag and anger at how close it hit to home. "She's plastic? A dummy," she explained to a confused Esposito. Snapping back to a menacing height, Kate rounded on the kids standing around and boomed, "Everyone back to your rooms or where ever it is you're going!"

When practically nobody moved, Esposito was definitive as he yelled from his position still at her side, "You heard her, MOVE!"

This was going to be a hell of a mess to clean up in the dull light out front of the basketball stadium.

._._._._._._._.

Monday morning found Kate a little beyond the middle row of chairs in her Criminal Law lecture theatre; the image of a dedicated student, even though she had far more on her mind than the words of Professor Montgomery.

A groan escaped a nearby chair as someone shifted in their seat. The sound reminded Kate of last night. The twenty year old had gone to her father's place. It was a regular occurrence; a check up, a reassurance, a reminder that he was still there – even if he was drowning in the bottle and groaning with misery.

Last night had been one of the worst in recent weeks. She'd cleaned him up between his sobs of drunken affection and tears, and sent him to bed. As a woman acting beyond her age, Kate left the apartment with a sense of regret at having let things get so bad. She should have been stronger. _He _should have been stronger. It had been months since her mother had died, leaving behind a husband who turned into an alcoholic and a broken daughter, barely able to hold herself together. Where was the man who was supposed to protect _her_?

The classroom door opened with a bang, startling Beckett out of her musings again and halting the lecture. Expecting to see the silhouette of one of the usual disruptive late-comers whose poor punctuality left her frustrated and glaring, she was shocked to see Richard Castle standing in the doorway instead, offering a sheepish grin to the class.

The brunette narrowed her eyes as Rick stepped straight up to the podium, handing Montgomery a leaf of paper which the teacher read with curious eyes. Montgomery was a friendly man, Kate knew, but he was not a push over. So, it surprised her when the elderly gentleman handed the paper back with a welcoming smile and raised a single hand in way of saying 'take a seat'.

Richard Castle was an English major. He wouldn't…

The young writer stood facing the whole Criminal Law class as he casually looked at each face in the crowd. Kate thought he appeared to be searching for something and as his eyes locked on her in the mass, she knew that he had found it. With laptop tucked under one arm and a confident stride, the young man made his way directly towards her.

Kate alternated between awkwardly concentrating unnecessarily hard on her notes and glancing towards the approaching guy who could not actually be walking towards her. Why would _he_ ever come looking for _her_? Especially after their recent fiasco?

Even though she knew that it was coming, she was still astounded when Rick nestled himself into the seat beside hers. Montgomery's commencement barely registered as she stared at Castle, waiting. Kate was not sure what exactly it was that she was waiting for, but she knew that he had come here for a reason.

"What are you _doing_ here, Castle?"

"_Trying_ to learn about Law. Shhh!" Rick gave her his best smile before obnoxiously turning to face the front of the room, feigning interest in the proceeding lecture. He even rested his chin on both hands like a little school boy and if she didn't know any better, Beckett might've actually thought he looked interested in the topic. In one lightning fast motion, she had his right ear pinched between her fingers. Her victim buckled almost instantly under the new pressure to his ear, twisting to look at her with wide eyes and a melodramatically distorted face of pain.

"Ahhh!"

Rick's cry of surprise came out a little louder than it probably should have, given the environment, but by the time Montgomery looked their way, all that could be seen was a certain new student rubbing at his ear while glaring at the young woman on his right. Giving the pair a speaking look, the professor continued.

Kate picked up her pen before drawing her attention back to lecture. She was hoped that her neighbour would just follow suit and leave her alone. But it was not to be, because only two minutes had passed before he was leaning in towards her and whispering, "You look nice."

On the inside, Kate was crimson with glee from his flattery. On the outside, she shifted her eyes briefly sideways in acknowledgment before rolling them in their sockets. Kate Beckett would not be sweet talked by the college's biggest playboy. Personal barista or no...

"What is he talking about?"

Kate shot him an incredulous look before making another attempt at focusing on the lesson. She wouldn't admit that she had next to no idea what the teacher was talking about, either. She had _not_been paying more attention the guy beside her instead of the man at the front of the room.

It was going to be a long lecture...

When class was finally dismissed and the rest of the room emptied, save for the pair and the professor, Kate finally allowed herself to stop pretending to scribble out notes and began to pack up. Beside her, Castle had already stowed his stuff and was waiting somewhat patiently.

"I expect it to be a little quieter next time this class convenes," Montgomery warned them in his parting shot.

Kate felt herself blush and called out "Yes, Sir," just as Castle offered "Sorry!" She refused to look at the guy next to her as she gathered her things and rose, even as he did the same.

"So...coffee?" Rick offered. "We could go down to that place...compare notes from class, gossip about that body?"

Kate finally swung her gaze to him. "Can I ask you a question?"

At her words, Rick looked absolutely delighted as he turned to face her fully with his complete attention. "Shoot."

"Why are you even here? I mean, you _obviously _don't care about law. So, what is it? Are you stalking me?"

After a scandalized look, the English major turned thoughtful and it was almost possible to see the cogs in his head moving. Finally, he answered. "I'm here for the story."

"The story?" Kate echoed in disbelief.

Rick continued as if she hadn't spoken. "What happened to make you the way you are? How'd you end up _here_?" he asked, pointing down to the floor.

Oh, _her _story. Well, he could forget it. She was just a girl who was going through a rough patch and had not yet come out the other end. Sometimes it actually felt as though she was falling deeper into the hole of dismay, if she were honest. But there was no way in hell she was telling Richard Castle _that._

"Sometimes there is no story," the young woman told him.

"There's always a story," Rick insisted. "Always a chain of events that makes everything make sense. I mean, under normal circumstances, you should _not_ be here. A lot of hot girls become models, trophy wives–not lawyers…especially not criminal lawyers. And yet, here you are. Why?"

Kate crossed her arms. "I don't know, Rick. You're the writer. You tell me."

Rick's heart skipped a beat as he tried to decipher whether or not she actually wanted to play this game, but she was serious and challenging him. The words of an answer began to form in his mouth because, well, he had always loved a challenge...

"Well, you're not bridge-and-tunnel—no trace of the boroughs when you talk," he mused, looking the gorgeous girl up and down. "So, that means Manhattan; that means money. You had options," he concluded and gave her a devastating grin as he took her in again and nodded sagely. "Yeah, you had a lot of options—more 'socially acceptable' options. Word is that you didn't go near this Criminal Law stuff until late last year. But you chose it over Foreign Languages—something you were making a four point oh in. That tells me something happened. Something that made you want justice."

Rick saw a crack appear in her mask as she swallowed heavily. He'd hit a mark somewhere, and tried to stop, because he'd already seen that expression on her once and it flooded him with guilt. His mouth however, wasn't getting the _'SHUT-UP'_signal and it continued. "Something happened to someone you loved and by the way you've been pouring over those books in the library I'm gonna say whoever did the deed got away with it. And you wanna get 'em, to make up for it. That, Kate Beckett, is why you are here."

Kate took a deep breath and forced herself to breathe evenly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, so the moisture gathering at the backs of her eyes wouldn't even make it to the surface to fall. In a single moment, the guy had ripped her open and pulled her to pieces. He didn't get to just waltz into her life and pretend like he knew her. She was so good at hiding...everything; bottling it up and channeling it into a driven focus. How had he managed to dissect her after just a few meetings? She swallowed twice to make sure the tightness in her throat didn't betray her as she spoke. "That's a cute trick, but don't think you know me." She pushed her way past him and headed for the door.

"The point is, there's always a story," Rick called after her as he hurried to keep up. "You just have to find it."

Kate turned and revealed another expression he'd yet to see. The anger and defiance in her face warred with the obvious pain and hatred in her eyes. Rick had never seen someone so conflicted and yet so fearsome. "Yeah, well, if you've found your story, then why are you still here?" she spat, before spinning on her heel and leaving Rick standing stunned at the theatre entrance.

He'd hurt her, he realized. Hurt her by hitting the mark, even though she'd basically dared him to do just that. She was long gone by the time he moved his feet to the doorway and Rick shook his head to himself as he headed out of the building. He'd have to make it up to her—have to let her know that he just wanted to get to know her. Because there was always more to a story than what was on the surface...

._._._._._._.

Montgomery's Crim-Law lecture was almost full by the time Kate dragged herself in the next time, feeling like a zombie. Between her avoidance of Lanie's and the boys' questions about her odd behaviour recently, her duties as an RA, the rumours flying around campus about "dead cheerleaders", her drunken father and her own studies, Kate had barely caught more than six hours of sleep in the last forty-eight hours. It was understandable, then that Richard Castle was the last thing on her mind when she entered the room in which she had last seen him.

Though, there he sat, almost in the exact same spot as the last time; a familiar paper cup sitting at the spot next to him. Had he really saved her a seat in the busy section of the theatre?

Deciding against it, Kate began moving to the far side of the room, away from him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Castle stand and begin shuffling towards her. A few rowdy calls of annoyance reached the front of the room as he shimmied across the aisle in front of other students. She ignored the wave of greeting and halt that he sent down to her. Oh no, they weren't doing this again.

Turning on a sharp heel, the other side of the room with fewer empty seats suddenly appeared more desirable. But, of course, Rick followed much to the distress of the multiple pairs of knees that received a firm whack from his swinging backpack. Kate kept her head low as she wiggled into the first empty seat she could find. Surely if she just sat down and continued to ignore him, he would get the hint and give up.

Wrong. Rick squeezed his way past their fellow classmates, earning and ignoring more than a few glares in his desire to reach his destination. Kate grimaced as he sat down beside her. Montgomery entered the room and it was suddenly too late to relocate to the empty seat centred within a thick group of people where he wouldn't be able to follow her. She cursed herself for not having seen it before.

Her stalker plopped the cup in front of her silently and busied himself with pulling out a notebook and pen. He'd not said anything to her in greeting yet, but the lid of the coffee cup had been written on in Sharpie. '_Sorry_.'

Kate tried to ignore it. She wasn't going to get sucked back into this—whatever it was—with him. She wasn't going to let him lay her bare for his amusement. But, the sweet scent of vanilla infused caffeine had her stomach rumbling and her mouth watering. She tried desperately not to notice how quickly she caved as she snatched up the brew and sucked greedily while trying to pretend she didn't see Rick grinning to himself. This wasn't forgiveness, she told herself, but she was in college and what girl in her right mind turned down a gift of her favourite treat?

Rick was oddly silent beside her as the lecture went on; he only nudged her twice. Once to silently ask where on the syllabus the class was at and once to point out a silly note he made in the margin of his paper about the lecture.

Kate had only rolled her eyes, which prompted a smirk from Rick, but she personally agreed with his note. Moreover, she was secretly impressed at his dedication to note-taking. The page he had referred her to was filled in his neat blocky handwriting, and covered Montgomery's points better than her own notes did. So maybe he did know how to be serious...

The Professor cracked a joke, which they both missed the punch line of, and the class laughed as everyone began exiting the room, dismissed. Castle stood first; a flurry of books and papers chucked hastily into his bag and held a hand out to help her stand. She debated ignoring it, but the coffee (AND his silence) had put her in a better mood and she accepted the genteel gesture for what it was and nothing more.

"Well, Kate, it's been a pleasure. A gentleman knows when his invitation has expired," Rick said, not yet releasing her hand.

Kate quirked an eyebrow. "Invitation? You invited yourself."

He chuckled, not denying a thing, and used their proximity to draw her closer. "You know, I never meant to make you upset," he whispered. "You're just this extraordinary person, I felt I had to get to know you better."

"And now?" Kate prodded quietly, unwilling to break the bubble they had suddenly found themselves in.

"And now I know that some women will remain a wonderful, fascinating mystery," Rick breathed, moving ever closer until his lips touched her cheek dangerously close to the mouth he had been staring at. "Thank you, Beckett." He squeezed her hand and then let it drop.

The action was like a shock of electricity as it snapped her back into movement. Kate blinked at him, dumbfounded. Mentally, she slapped herself when that treacherous smirk spread across the playboy's face. He played dirty, but before she could retaliate he was gone and the girl stood where he left her, a hand raised to the place where his lips had just been.

Tough-as-nails Kate Beckett came back in a matter of seconds, with only the faintest trace of a giddy smile remaining as she gathered her belongings. Her phone was slipped into the back pocket of her jeans, her textbook inside her bag next to her pen and car keys, her notebook…her notebook!

"He didn't." The now empty seats around her proved notebook-free on inspection, just like her bag. "Oh! He did!"

She was going to kill him.

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><p><em>Author's Notes: So, what did you all think? Reviews = smiles galore! =)<em>

_Until next time._

_Amy._


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

_Summary: What if Castle had met Beckett at college? Would they have still wasted so much time dancing around each other? Think 'Veronica Mars' style crime fighting. Think Caskett. Think love and friendship and drama and life._

_Disclaimer: I own a few cool things. Castle is not one of them._

_Author's Notes: I can not thank you all enough for the plentiful reviews, alerts and favourites! Even if you're a silent reader – thank you (although, I do encourage you to leave a review...please =D). Really, it's quite pitiful how happy I get when I get alerts after posting a new chapter. Keep them coming!_

_Thank you to __**Lcsaf**__, for keeping me in line both when I write terrible things and personally (I _did_ write a more heart-felt thanks but deleted it...honey badger). I am only adding this next note from her in fear that I will be harmed if I don't. She's not entirely to blame for the long wait, don't believe her._

_Beta's Notes: Sorry for the delay. It was completely my fault for keeping you wonderful readers waiting on the update. So, blame me, not the author._

* * *

><p>"I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you need them the most."<p>

– Emma Thompson.

Castle was surprised that he'd made it out of the lecture theatre with Kate's notebook...and alive, no less (he knew he'd been pushing it with that kiss, but he simply hadn't been able to help himself). He hadn't exactly _run_ out of the building, but merely quickened his steps until he made it to the safety of his bedroom at the apartment, away from any repercussions of an angry Beckett. He stayed there, absorbed in the world of his muse's hastily slopped handwriting as the clock on his bedside table ticked over the minutes.

The pages he was most interested in were much messier than the rest, as if the author couldn't get her thoughts down quick had caught a glimpse while Kate had been opening to a fresh leaf for note-taking in the lecture. Words like "murder" and "blood" had predictably caught his curious eye and Rick simply _had_to know more. Of course, she never would've let him see her notes anyway, so the line he'd spieled about leaving her alone had slipped out of its own accord. Effectively, the impromptu plan had led Beckett to believe she had won their playful struggle but Castle knew, without a doubt, that she would come for him…eventually...he smirked at his unintended double entendre as he continued reading.

Beckett's scrawl covered the page, giving a factual and vivid description of the scene and the act that had been committed there. Rick had heard secondhand (or was it third? It was hard to tell with the gossip mill on campus) accounts of the horrible event, but the words before him were filling in a lot of blanks and clearing some of the misconceptions up. The speculation posed on paper sparked his interest, not only because of her credible theories (and oh, the ideas _those_ inspired), but for this rare opportunity to see how the brunette's mind worked. Her intelligence, her determination and drive, added with her hotness made Kate Beckett more and more interesting with every little bit that was revealed about her.

Most of the notes were short jutted lines, questions or comments: _'Access to NYU cheerleader uniform?', 'Blood = ketchup.', 'Are there any security cameras in the area?', 'Witnesses? Someone had to have seen something!'._

Feeling a little like a detective; not unlike when reading murder mystery novels or playing 'Clue' with his sister, Rick began to spin wild theories in his head. Maybe the fake body had been dropped by an undercover FBI agent trying to distract the students so that he could…no, the body definitely had something to do with Russian spies… However, with not enough evidence and not being able to trust any of the rumours that had been flying around the college campus, he felt as though the story had been cut in half or some vital piece of the game lost. Perhaps he would cave, go after the girl and share his ideas with her. He could help her solve the mystery and in doing so, hopefully get her to warm back up to him.

"Did you knock?" Rick asked without looking up from the pages.

"Yes," Alexis groaned, flopping herself on the bed.

"I didn't hear you."

"You never 'hear' it when anyone knocks," the teen grumbled. At her brother's unamused look, Alexis heaved herself up with a melodramatic sigh and marched back to the doorframe and rapped against it twice, making a sarcastic face before returning to the mattress. "Happy?"

Rick turned to face her.

"Not exactly. What's up?"

"I've got a test tomorrow, and Mom is having a trivia night with her acting friends here later…"

Rick understood exactly what his sister wanted. "Library?"

Alexis sighed in relief. She knew she could count on her brother. "Yes, but tell her that we're going somewhere else. She'll try to convince both of us to stay and join in all of the _fun_!" The girl pleaded.

Rick jumped to his feet with the notebook tucked under one elbow as he checked his pockets for wallet and phone. "Quick, Alexis! Paige needs rescuing on the other side of the city and has no one else to save her! I'll drive."

._._._._._._.

Beckett had stormed from the lecture theatre furious at Castle for stealing her notebook and even more furious at herself for falling for his charm. Again! She'd scoured the area for him, but the English major had apparently vanished and Beckett had been forced to make her way back to her dorm with no leads. Lanie's quiet study session in their dorm room had been interrupted by a loud slam of the door and an angry roommate who threw her notebook-free bag against the far wall. The object slumped to the floor and its thrower collapsed heavily onto her bed with an animalistic sound of annoyance. She clutched at her hair and eyes squeezed shut in some attempt at calming herself until Lanie swivelled around in her chair and finally spoke.

"What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Castle."

Sarcasm was usually the flavour of Lanie's caring. "Oooh, what did he do this time: buy you more coffee? Be _nice_ to you?"

That was all it took to get Kate to open her eyes, sit up on the edge of her bed and begin ranting about her thief, her…whatever the guy was.

"I just can't believe him! He is so annoying and frustrating and shallow and…" Kate knew she had begun to ramble in her enraged state about the latest situation with the playboybut Lanie finally interrupted after a few moments.

"So, your master plan is to what: walk around until you find him?" Her friend shrugged in response, silent at last. "Riiiight. Girl, why don't you just ask someone where he hangs out?"

Beckett snorted, appalled. "I am _not_ asking after Richard Castle. Do you know what people would _think_?"

"Well, if you want your notebook back badly enough… " Lanie trailed off before adding offhandedly, "and, yanno...if you _do_ go after him, a little lipstick wouldn't hurt…"

"I'm going to kill him, not kiss him." Trust Lanie to forgive the guy she wanted to murder. Why were they friends again?

"Mmmhm, I'm just sayin'… You said he brought you coffee for a week, why don't you try that place he's been bringing it from?"

Kate sat in silence as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, considering her options. She did know which coffee shop it was; he'd always given her the same cups with matching logo. That would be her second visit, if the first place fell through.

Lanie giggled and as Beckett looked over at the sound, she caught her trying to cover her mouth with one hand, her phone in the other. "What's so funny?"

"Uh…text from Javi…" The interrogator became the interrogated in a split second.

"How is Espo? I haven't seen him today."

Panic was not a common expression on the sassy young woman's face. "Neither have I! I was just helping him out with something…"

Kate's smirk brought a raised eyebrow to the party as its date. "Yeah, I bet you were _helping him out_."

"Uh-uh, don't think you're turning this around on me, Kate Beckett! Weren't you going somewhere? To _kill_ the guy you have the hots for?" Lanie shot back. "Go on."

._._._._._._.

Rick and Alexis sat opposite each other on the middle big table in the section of the library where he had first seen Kate Beckett, extraordinaire. The younger of the two read up on art history for her upcoming exam while her brother sat, unusually silent, enthralled in the notebook he had been carrying around everywhere.

Alexis huffed out a sort of sigh as she turned another page in the book she was looking through and Rick felt himself grin a little as he did the same to the notebook in front of him.

Rick enjoyed helping his little sister out, andhe'd never say it aloud, but sometimes he hated his mother a little bit for being so caught up in her own fame and glamour. He knew their mom worked harder than ever to keep herself on the circuit and took as many roles as possible to be able to afford their nicer lifestyle on a single parent's paycheque, but sometimes he relished the thought of brown bagging lunches to help make ends meet in exchange for being more of a family.

"But life ain't fair, kiddo," Martha had said one night after a particularly bad day. She'd looked so worn, in a way he rarely saw, but recognized as a genuine emotion. "It is what it is, and sometimes…sometimes you just gotta make the make the best of the hand you're dealt because you know you're not gettin' another one."

So, here they were—the Castle kids—in the university's library, each studying their own material religiously. Only Rick knew that his was more interesting than Alexis'…much more…

For an RA, Beckett had been remarkably easy to distract; it almost made him feel remorseful about taking it. _Almost_. Besides, he didn't intend to keep the spiralbound. He had plans to give it back to her...as soon as he was done pouring over the notes that surely held facts about that mystery dummy found on campus the other night. She'd be okay after an apology and another cup of her favourite coffee, wouldn't she?

"Who would?" Alex whispered.

Damn. Had he really said that last part out loud?

"Yes," the red headed teen replied with a growing smirk. She closed her book, crossed her arms and leaned over the table at him. "Spill."

Castle made a quick glance around the section of the library that they occupied, to ensure his muse wasn't lurking in the stacks somewhere. "Her name is Kate."

"Kate." Alexis said the name with a thoughtful expression, almost as though she were testing how it sounded, how it felt. When he made no attempt to continue, she added, "And?"

"And…she's studying Law…" Castle wasn't sure how to explain this..._thing_ that was going on with Kate and he wasn't so sure that he wanted to share her just yet, either. They weren't the type of siblings that usually discussed such topics, anyway.

The younger of the two leant forward in accusation. "So, why do _you_ have notes on Law?" She motioned towards the pages in front of him. "You're not taking any of those classes, are you? You don't even like it."

Rick Castle's sister: the busybody.

"I can like Law!" he defended.

"You like _breaking_ the law," the girl admonished.

Castle grinned. There obviously wasn't much use trying to hide this from his sister; despite his efforts to keep her out of his love-life (and didn't the thought of his sister and the word 'sex,' together in the same sentence give him the willies?)it appeared she already knewthat this was about a girl."She's just _different_, you know?"

Struggling to find the right words to describe Kate Beckett, Castle barely noticed the sound of approaching steps as his fingers absently traced the letters he had been writing in her notebook.

"Richard Castle!" If her tone weren't so menacing, Rick would have been happy to hear the voice of his muse. He stared at Alexis in front of him with wide, terrified eyes.

The teen merely grinned back, audaciously and continued Rick's soliloquy. "And she's going to kill you**.**"

He gulped.

Turning on the charm, Castle swivelled in his seat, resting a casual arm on the back of the chair. "Beckett! What a pleasant surprise. How are you?" All teeth and dazzle, he smiled at her.

It didn't work. "Give me the notebook." A second passed in which the guy opened his mouth, ready to feed her another line. Kate pressed on, determined. "Now, Castle!"

"Oh, I love The Notebook! Don't tell anyone though, will you? It would be terrible for my reputation."

So, he was going to play that game, was he?

"Ryan Gosling's face will be a dream of yours if you don't hand over the book." Beckett glared at him.

Rick looked down at the requested object, softly closing the page he had been writing on. "I was just telling Alexis about how it must have gotten mixed up with my things when we were leaving the lecture the other day. Isn't that right, Lex?" His eyes shifted to his sister, his saving grace.

Kate glanced towards the younger girl, noticing her for the first time.

Alexis just shrugged. "When do I ever listen to you, big brother?"

Great saving grace she turned out to be. Castle made a mental note to remember that next time she needed back up. Of course, the note would be long forgotten when the time came, his heroic big brother instincts taking over.

He was too busy narrowing his eyes at his sister that Rick failed to see Kate blinked in surprise. Richard Castle had a little sister. Somehow, Beckett wouldn't have pegged that. Didn't having sisters imply…a respect for women, a caring nature…? She was brought out of her musing by the sound of her annoying classmate's voice.

"_Anyway_, I was going to get it back to you…" Rick looked up at the girl towering above him as he handed her back the notebook, eyes a flash of blue through skilfully downcast lashes. His lower lip may have been protruding slightly too.

Beckett didn't appear to notice his antics. She stared at the book in her hands, turning it over as though checking a lost child for injury. When it was decided that the cover at least had not been harmed, Kate looked at him, calmer now. "Thank you."

She could be mature about things, even if Castle clearly couldn't. Blowing up in the guy's face in front of his little sister didn't seem like the smartest idea Beckett had ever had. That was all she needed, someone else who thought she was unstable and would watch her with cautious eyes. Ever since her mother's death, all of the looks seemed to be the same. It was degrading.

Castle offered a sincere smile, warmed by the fact that he hadn't ended up like the body she had written about. Maybe she wouldn't need that coffee after all. Of course, he would buy it for her anyway. In fact, if the run down look she wore was anything to go by, he should have probably gone and bought it right then. He watched as her tired eyes shifted once more to his little sister.

"_Matasaburo of the Wind_." Kate nodded towards Alexis' art textbook. "I have a replica of that on my wall."

The girl smiled in response, pleased to be involved in the exchange. "Rick loves that painting." Alexis watched as the brunette glanced towards her big brother. "Do you like Roy Lichtenstein?"

Rick sat quietly with a content smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, head occasionally turning between the females. Alexis was talking quietly in the library to Kate Beckett like they were old friends, about some of _his_ favourite artists. Maybe his little sister could be useful here, after all.

He leaned back in his chair, watching with genuine pleasure as his sister and his very hot classmate conversed, revealing both their knowledge and taste of art. Kate finally looked at him once the girls' conversation wrapped up. Her smile did not fade.

"So, I guess I'll see you in Crim-Law, Castle?"

The content smile reached his eyes. "Of course. See you at the lecture, Kate."

Beckett nodded firmly, trying not to show the sudden uncertainty that she felt towards her invitation. "Nice to meet you, Alexis."

"Thanks for the painting suggestions, Beckett. I'll look them up."

"You can call me Kate." A final honest smile, a swift wave of goodbye and the girl with the purple hoodie was gone.

Having turned to watch her go, the back of Rick's head was exposed to the dull thud of Alexis' scolding knuckles. "You stole her notebook?"

"I didn't _steal_ it, I _borrowed_ it…"

._._._._._._._.

Later, in the privacy of her room, Kate opened the notebook. Lanie hadn't been there when she had returned from the library; she wondered if Esposito would be around if she knocked on his door… In neat juxtaposition to her own messy scrawl, Castle's carefully sculpted letters had been added beside her own notes. Oh, so he thought he could play detective now too, did he?

Admittedly, his theories were interesting; even half-plausible in some cases, truth be told. Beside her own question about someone having access to a cheerleading outfit, Rick had written, "_Girls on the squad, cheerleader's boyfriend/roommate, someone who works at the manufacturing company..._" Beckett probably wouldn't have thought of that last one on her own. Not right away, at least.

He had written next to some of her other notes, too.

"_Blood = ketchup." "Do you want fries with that?"_

Kate scoffed. He was always the joker.

"_Are there any security cameras in the area?" _There was a phone number and a note under it: _"Ask for Dan. Tell him Rick sent you."  
><em>

No. She would _not_ be using his name and resources to get what she needed.

Turning to what she expected would be a blank page, the young woman found a final handwritten paragraph from her…Castle. This part was even neater than the rest, having leaked from a steadily held pen.

"_A lot of the fun lie__s in trying to penetrate the mystery; and this is best done by saying over the lines to yourself again and again, till they pass through the stage of sounding like nonsense, and finally return to a full sense that had at first escaped notice._

– _Anthony Hecht._"

Kate had heard of the poet; a New Yorker, she was fairly certain. Unsure of what exactly to make of the quote – well, not the quote itself, but its secondary origin – the young woman closed the notebook and shoved it into the drawer of her bedside table, where Lanie wouldn't find it. A copy of Castle's most recent newspaper piece, which she had salvaged from a sparse stand on campus the day after first reading it over Ryan's shoulder, stared back at her. God, why had she asked him to come back to the Criminal-Law lectures…?

._._._._._._.

The second body dropped the following night. After dinner with her father over stony small talk, Kate had taken her usual route across campus to head back to her dorm. She passed the Student Hall when she caught sight of the dummy.

Similarly displayed to the first body, this one wore a traditional Ukrainian dress as it stared up from its place on the grass—another outfit that could prove difficult to get one's hands on. Kate was just glad that the same rowdy crowd that had swarmed the last body hadn't arrived, pressing in on her as she stood by thesite, alone, processing the details.

She called campus security to report the body and after a second, dialed Javier as well. If Lanie was with him, Kate hoped she would forgive her. She didn't really want to handle this by herself. Especially with the amount of very real looking blood that seemed to be covering the very real looking body. Ryan might be brave enough to test the blood, but there was no way in hell Kate was doing that, or touching anything without a witness for that matter. The wait for someone to arrive felt lengthy as Beckett shifted from foot to foot, gently rubbing her palms together and trying to look anywhere but towards the body at her feet. The unusually icy chill that hung in the air made her glad that she had worn her coat, big red buttons shining from chest to mid-thigh under the lamp light.

Her movements and the gleam of the lamp caused something else to shine too; a small object on the lawn, mere feet away. A few cautious steps and she was upon it, staring down at what looked like…no, it couldn't be. That didn't make sense…

Kate crouched down to study the object in the grass. A second later, a box full of large blue latex gloves waved in her vision. She followed the hand holding them up to the arm and grinning face of Esposito. "Where'd you get these?"

"Nurse's station," he offered with a shrug. "Way I figure it, my tuition completely covers access to the medical benefits of this fine establishment."

Behind him, Ryan was smirking and fluttering his own gloved fingers in a cheeky wave.

Kate rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair from the box.

"Two by two and hands of blue," a voice lilted from the dark.

The trio turned their heads to see Castle approaching them at what could only be called a stroll.

On edge about the body and perhaps slightly unnecessarily infuriated by the sight of the guy, Beckett snapped to her full height and took a threatening step towards him.

"Castle." If looks could kill...

"Why, Kate, fancy seeing you here!"

"What are you doing here?"

"An evening constitutional?" Rick replied coyly.

"A walk?" Kate echoed in disbelief.

Her classmate breathed in deeply. "I love the invigorating feel of the fresh night air on my face."

The young woman ground her teeth in aggravation. Nothing with Castle was ever easy. "You sure you weren't just following me?" she accused. "Maybe come to see a body that you staged?" She pointed to the dummy.

The jovial tone Rick had come with was gone, now defensive. "No, hey, I—"

Beside her, Kate sensed the boys turn from the body to their intruder. Their unasked question was loud in the practically deserted area: Beckett knew Rick Castle? Kate suspected that they would begin to annoy her about Castle just like Lanie had been doing, if not more.

"Then how else did you know where to find the body?"

"I didn't. I was out saving the world already." Really, he had just dropped Alexis off at a friend's house and had to stop by the library on his way home. Whoever came up with the idea of late fees was an ass…

The tension in the air was palpable as Kate stared him down. After a moment, she backed off and turned her attention back to the body; effectively dismissing him.

Rick however, took the opportunity to step closer to the trio and the dummy. "What have we got?"

"_We_," Kate waved a demonstrative hand between them "haven't got anything."

Rick took a daring step forward. "Oh, we've got _something_, Kate." He winked.

Of course he winked. They had an audience - a male audience. Where was campus security?

"That's not the point. The point _is_," she jabbed a pointed index finger into the chest in front of her and he looked down at the contact with a smirk. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sighing as though defeated, his blues dragged back up to her face; after making a slow detour past her chest, of course. With a sincere voice he told her, "I was at _our_ place." His eyes flickered briefly over her shoulder to the boys who had remained silent, watching the exchange. "You know the place we go at night? In the stacks, checking things out?"

Beckett's hand dropped as she shifted, glancing quickly back at Ryan and Esposito before glaring back at her tormentor. "I know it." After a stern look which told him to keep his mouth shut, she turned entirely to the boys. If he was silent, he could stay. "So, what do you think? Same guy?"

A little flustered by the sight of their no nonsense girl talking to the very definition of nonsense (and like it had happened before – multiple times – no less), Esposito finally stuttered out a response. "Uh, could be. Could be a chica too, though."

"Whoever it was, looks like they've got a costume shop at their dispense." Ryan added. "You don't just find an outfit like that in your closet. Guy—"

"Or girl." Esposito interrupted.

"Or girl," Kevin gave his buddy a pointed look. "Must know some people."

"Not everyone just has an NYC cheerleading outfit lying around either, bro."

"Uh, I do..." Castle looked a little sheepish as both pairs of male eyes widened towards their new 'hero'.

Kate nodded, ignoring their nonsense. "It's Ukrainian. Maybe they know a manufacturer." Damn she'd just used Castle's theory, hadn't she? The three who had dealt with the first body firsthand studied this one, considering the facts, hatching a solving plan.

"Oh! I bet it _was_ Russian spies!" At least Castle apparently hadn't noticed her slip up.

The trio all turned their heads robotically to their tag-along. Russian spies dropping fake bodies in a New York university? Was he serious?

Kate simply rolled her eyes at Castle as she scanned the area once more. Surely making such a big mess would have to leave tracks behind, somewhere...

"Hey, look at this!" Castle looked about as excited as a kid in a candy store.

They followed his pointing finger to the ground where the object lay in the night moistened grass.

As he crouched down to pick it up, Kate grabbed his shoulder, hauling him back to his feet. "Don't touch the evidence. I already saw it."

Rick looked at her disbelievingly. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

Right, like she'd had a chance with the onslaught of Esposito and Ryan with their gloves, and then Castle with his Russian spy theories. She ignored his question. "Here, put these on." Beckett pulled a blur of blue from Esposito's box and handed it to him.

He took them, eyes alight and hands fumbling with excitement as he wriggled the gloves on. "This is _so_ cool!"

Somehow, the guy ended up with two digits sharing a finger space in one of his gloves and Beckett reached out on a whim to pull at the latex in assistance. She ignored her boys' questioning looks but let go of the material with a snap that left Castle gasping in shock, waving his hand around to stop the sudden sting.

Campus security arrived then, finally. Beckett returned to her RA role, stepping aside to explain everything she knew about the situation to the officers. They took notes on a clipboard every so often, but she thought it at inappropriate times, unimportant details. She wondered what training they went through for the job…

Security dismissed the young woman shortly after, insisting that they could handle it from there. She wasn't entirely sure they could, but went back to the guys who were now in a deep discussion. Great.

"No way! That's awesome!" Kate wasn't sure she'd ever heard Ryan so excited.

"Right?" Castle's reply came out a little breathy, awed by the topic.

She chuckled her way into their conversation. "What's awesome?"

Esposito spoke first "Tickets to the game this weekend-"

Ryan cut him off. "And a meeting with Joe Torre!"

They had been doing that quite a bit lately – finishing each other's sentences – she'd have to start cracking jokes about it.

"Joe Torre?"

Castle stepped in to explain. "He's a baseball player and manager-"

"I know who he is! My dad and I use to go to games all the time." That was the first time he'd seen an unmasked Kate Beckett smile, full and real and ravishing.

Rick smiled back, unable to stop himself. He'd caught the 'use to' but proceeded without asking; he didn't want to push it, especially not in front of the boys. "I can get you a ticket too, if you want."

Her smile waivered with uncertainty. "You don't have to do that…"

He caught her eyes just before they fell with hesitance. "I want to."

For a moment, they returned to their silent communication from the library. He wanted to. She wanted him to. She couldn't actually admit that though, could she?

Ryan was never one to hold back. "Can we come, too?"

Castle never looked away from Beckett's face but grinned, unashamed. "Sure."

So, it was decided without Kate ever having to say a word. She would be going on a 'date' with Richard Castle that weekend.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes: Now you're all going to review and let me know what you thought, yeah? Thought so. Thanks. Much appreciated. ;) No, really, the appreciation level is off the chart! I love them.<em>

_Amy._


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